Wanted: BSc/MSc/PhD students

Interesting and challenging thesis topics are available in

GPGPU Computing

- writing a BLAS replacement which utilizes the graphics processor using OpenCL

- writing a SparseBLAS library which utilizes the graphics processor using OpenCL

- porting the SpeedIT CUDA (or CNC) OpenFOAM plugin to OpenCL with double precision

Computational Science and Engineering

- DEM calculation for fracture of steel fibre reinforced concrete

- DEM calculation for flow and/or orientation waves in liquid crystals

- FEM calculation for steel fibre reinforced concrete (using an effective averaged constitutive function)

- FEM/FVM calculation for flow and/or orientation waves in liquid crystals

- coupling CFD and DEM calculations

3D Visualization (internships and BSc theses)

The visualization lab's current computational facilities are made up of two cutting edge graphics servers, which drive the Planar SD2220W 3D monitor and the semi-immersive VR environment. The semi-immersive VR environment is an in-house design and consists of 3 large stereoscopic screens arranged in a corner-setup, thus forming 2 walls and bottom. This setup allows the user to see the visualized objects floating free in space and to move around (or even into) them for closer inspection. A natural interaction is provided by use of a wand, a sort of 6 degree-of-freedom mouse, and a data glove. The point of view of the scene in the VR environment follows the position of the user; this is achieved by a 6 degree-of-freedom high precision magnetic tracker or, alternatively, by optical tracking with a MS Kinect.

- install jReality and extend it to work with VRPN/VRUI

- Write a VRPN server for for Kinect Skeleton tracking for Linux with the Freenect library

- Identify and configure a 5 sensors 5DT DataGlove using a VRPN server (existing) and integrating it into VRUI (investigation includes other software in which the glove can be used)

- Build and implement a 3D Body scanner based on Depth and RGB Data from a Multi-Kinect Array

- Implement a VRPN-based multi-kinect system using skeleton data and head-tracking (face-tracking) of the user

- Write a Blender plugin (in python), to manage user tracking (and eventually interaction) through a number of existing VRPN servers

- Investigate, configure and install the the Blender CAVE environment based on Blender Game Engine in the KybI multiscreen setup

- data visualization in different scientific areas (physics, engineering; imaginable is also co-supervision in archeology, architecture and medical science)

Relativity Theory

about details of a possible thesis topic.

[In principle, we would like to offer every student a position for work on the thesis within a research project. But this presumes that circumstances coincide nicely: that a matching prospective student and adequately funded research project emerge simultaneously enough.]

[DEM: Discrete Element Method (superset of molecular dynamics), FEM: Finite Element Method, FVM: Finite Volume Method, GPGPU: General Purpose computing on Graphics Processing Units]